WeatherFanatics: Death Toll Rises in Nepal Climbing Disaster

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Death Toll Rises in Nepal Climbing Disaster

By Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

October 18,2014; 10:39PM,EDT

Search and rescue efforts continued in northern Nepal for the fourth straight day, as the death toll from this week's deadly snowstorms and avalanches in the Himalayas now stands at 39, the BBC reported Saturday.
According to the BBC, 384 people have been rescued from the popular Annapurna trail, while the government continues to search for 22 stranded hikers. More than 200 of the survivors are from other countries.

An injured avalanche victim from Israel rides a bus to the airport to head homewards in Katmandu, Nepal, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A Nepal government official told the BBC that Army helicopters, which have been used in the rescue efforts, were unable to land on Saturday and those who remain stranded are encountering a shortage of food and water.
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Survivors of the blizzard said they were caught off-guard when the weather changed quickly, according to the Associated Press.
"We could hardly see anyone, even within a couple of feet. The wind was blowing snow and visibility was almost zero," Gombu Sherpa, a guide who was leading a group of Germans, told the AP.
AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Alan Repport said there could be some lingering snow showers in the area into next week, but nothing too heavy.

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